Hurricane Patricia Could Have 'Catastrophic Landfall'
The latest on Hurricane Patricia, a Category 5 storm expected to make landfall in southwestern Mexico (all times local):
6:45 a.m.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that Patricia continues to be the strongest eastern north Pacific hurricane on record and is heading toward a "potentially catastrophic landfall" in southwestern Mexico later Friday.
Patricia is centered about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southwest of the Pacific resort of Manzanillo and about 215 miles (345 kilometers) south of Cabo Corrientes.
It has maximum sustained winds of 200 mph (325 kph) and it is moving north-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph)
___
5:45 a.m.
The U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization says Hurricane Patricia is packing comparable force to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 dead or missing in the Philippines two years ago.
WMO spokeswoman Claire Nullis says Patricia is evolving quickly and already "the strongest-ever hurricane to hit the eastern north Pacific region."
She says the hurricane is currently south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and on track to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane later in the day.
Nullis says Patricia's winds — which are around 200 mph (325 kph) — are strong enough "to get a plane in the air and keep it flying."
WMO says Patricia's minimum central pressure is comparable to that of Haiyan, which leveled entire towns in the central Philippines in 2013.
___
5:30 a.m.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Category 5 Hurricane Patricia is the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western hemisphere as it lumbers toward Mexico's Pacific coast.
Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the Hurricane Center, said Friday morning that the storm is the strongest one they've seen in the eastern Pacific or in the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds near 200 mph (325 kph).
The Hurricane Center is predicting a "potentially catastrophic landfall" in southwestern Mexico later in the day.
Patricia is centered about 160 miles (255 kilometers) south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is moving north-northwest near 10 mph (17 kph).
___
3:45 a.m.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Patricia is the strongest storm on record for the eastern north Pacific as it moves toward Mexico's coast.
The Category 5 storm's maximum sustained winds increased early Friday to near 200 mph (325 kph).
The Hurricane Center is predicting a "potentially catastrophic landfall" in southwestern Mexico later in the day.
Patricia is centered about 160 miles (255 kilometers) south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is moving north-northwest near 10 mph (17 kph).
___
12:30 a.m.
Hurricane Patricia, which the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami is calling a "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 storm, has gained strength as it moves toward the Mexican coast.
The Center reported early Friday that Patricia's maximum sustained winds had grown to near 185 mph (295 kph). The storm was located about 185 miles (295 kilometers) south-southwest of the port of Manzanillo, Mexico, and was moving north-northwest at 10 mph (17 kph).
The center said that on the current forecast track, Patricia is expected to make landfall Friday afternoon or evening in southwest Mexico.
(© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
